Working at the Bakery
by swordinthestone
Summary: After the events of Into the Woods. Red has started working at the bakery to help out with her new family. Red/Jack. Could be set in either the play or the movieverse. I do not own Into the Woods.
1. Under Control

**I am new at writing fics so I hope this is alright and sorry if this didn't turn out great. Thanks for reading and for leaving any comment/ constructive criticism. Have a great day and thanks again.**

Red liked working the counter at the bakery. The bread smelled nice but smelling the desserts was the real joy. The Baker had been weary of putting her in charge of selling the food fearing she would eat all the profits and would be a little too rough with the customers. However she had controlled herself not to eat all the sweets and was working on the being nice to customers thing. This is of course not to say she didn't eat some sweets but she kept it to a limited amount.

She wanted to show her new makeshift family that she could be responsible and help make money for them. The Baker cooked the bread, which was there source of income, and worked on repairing some of the damages to the house. Cinderella cleaned the house, helped with the repairs, and was trying to help everyone recover emotionally. Jack tended the animals and the garden. Red helped in the garden but wanted to be in charge of something. She liked things being in her control and was uneasy when they were not. Especially after all she had been through so much she couldn't control.

She heard Jack humming and coming back from outside empty handed. "The chickens aren't laying any eggs" he told her. "But at least Milky White has been giving out lots of milk. I'm about to get some now."

"Maybe the chickens don't like the names you gave them so they won't lay any eggs."

"Why wouldn't they like them? "

"Let's see we have Brown Feathers, Claw Beak, and Gizzard. You don't see anything wrong with these names?"

"Nope "he said proudly "I think they love the names we just haven't become best friends yet. Soon we will have lots of eggs to go along with our milk. Plus we will make even more money cause we won't have to buy eggs"

"You better hope Milky White and the chickens haven't been talking or we might have neither. I knew I should have named those chickens"

Jack smirked at her and went outside with the milk pails hoping for better luck getting something out of Milky White.

The only customer they had so far that day was an older lady who came in without saying a word grabbed the bread, asked how much, threw the money on the counter, and quickly left the store. On one hand Red would have liked to talk to somebody but on the other hand she was glad not to have to deal with an annoying customer.

He came back in carrying the shoulder yoke with the two milk pails on the side. Red turned to him about to tell him about her sale but stopped before saying anything. Jack was carrying the heavy shoulder yoke and she could see his muscles flexing to carry the heavy load. Red had noticed he had been gaining more muscles from doing lots of chores but she hadn't noticed it very much until now. Red started to blush and averted her eyes. What was going on? Why was she blushing? She was determined to control this so she looked back at him to prove she wasn't going to blush. He then smiled at her while he was picking up the pails and she started to blush even more than before. She turned her back to him hoping he hadn't noticed and was pretending to arrange some bread.

He went into the back room to put the milk away. Thankfully by the time he came back she had her blushing under control. "Did you sell any bread while I was gone?" Jack inquired.

"Yeah "said Red "I sold four loaves, not great business but it's something."

"That's brilliant and I'm sure as more people rebuild even more people will be coming."

"Did the chicken every lay any eggs? We need some more for our bread?"

"Not yet but "Jack wasn't able to finish his sentence before a big squawk came from one of the chickens outside. "Maybe hes laid an egg" Jack said beaming.

Red was about to correct him and say only females lay eggs but he had already started running outside. Red smiled as she saw him almost trip while going out the door. He really did care so much for those animals. Also with Jack out of the outside she had time to think about those blushes from earlier. She definitely was going to need to get that under control.


	2. Picking Carrots

**Thanks so much to everyone who Favorited/Reviewed/Followed. I am glad you liked. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter as well. For my guest reviewer I am glad you enjoyed and yes I am planning to continue the story and I hope to update regularly. Thanks and hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. **

The sun was very hot and beating down on the garden. Jack said the carrots were ready to be picked and they had to do it today. Red would have preferred that this be on a much cooler day but the vegetables obviously did not agree with her. Her and Jack were pulling up the carrots and putting them into baskets. While they were doing this the Baker and Cinderella were working together to patch the roof. Red was also anxious because the Baker said that night he would start teaching her how to bake. She had been doing well tending the store and was ready for more responsibility. She was especially excited about making the sweets.

"Are you gonna make some sweets with these?" Jack asked.

"Why would you want vegetables in your desserts? That kind of defeats the point."

"But carrot cake is my favorite."

"Really? Even when there is chocolate?"

"Well" Jack said hanging his head and looking kind of embarrassed "Well my mom and I never had a lot of money so we couldn't really buy sweets. So if I got a cake on my birthday it was usually made using the carrots from our garden."

It was time for Red to feel embarrassed. "Well I guess I'll just have to make some and see what I have been missing."

He shot her a shy smile. "And I would like to try some of those chocolate sweets to see what I've been missing"

They both smiled at each other and went back to work. When they started grabbing carrots they both reached for the same one. They both pulled away instantly. They both started blurting sorry. Red felt her cheeks starting to blush. Their touch had felt like an electric shock and felt kind of strange and exciting. She was not going to blush she decided. She was going to control it this time. Even though she tried to control it the blush reached her cheeks anyway. No way he wasn't going to notice this she thought.

"Are you getting sunburned?" Jack asked concerned.

"No I'm fine."

Thank goodness Jack was kind of oblivious. Also for the first time that day she was glad the sun had been shining so brightly. She could try and hide her feelings a little bit longer. They both went back to work and her mind wandered to her cooking lesson that night. She couldn't wait to start learning how to bake. She was especially excited to try and make carrot cake.


	3. Climbing Trees

** Hope you guys are enjoying the story! Let me know what you think. Next chapter I plan to show Red and the Baker cooking together.**

Somehow the chicken ended up in the tree. When they had woken up the chicken was roosting in the branches and would not move. Red and Jack were pleading with the chicken and motioning with their arms to try and get the chicken to come down. It was unsuccessful.

"Gizzard, Gizzard," Red yelled at the top of her lungs to try to get the chicken's attention. It however was able to ignore her shrieking. Jack started bursting out laughing.

"You're right that name might have been a little silly" he said doubling over in laughter.

"Shut up" she said hitting him on the shoulder. "Fine I'll climb the tree to get her down since you can't control you chicken."

"No I can do it. That's nothing compared to the beanstalk I climbed. I'll show you I can get the chicken."

Before she even had a chance to make a remark Jack had already started climbing the tree looking very determined. Red didn't want him to beat her and she started climbing the other side of the tree. However due to Jack's head start and more experience climbing he reached the top branch first and when Red reached the top he was trying to grab the chicken.

"See how fast I could get up here?"

"Yeah but that doesn't really matter if you can't get a hold of the chicken." He seemed very motivated to catch the chicken first. Was he trying to impress her?

Unfortunately, the chicken was situated so they just couldn't grab it and they had to start trying to call her again. However Gizzard was not really responding to either of them. Then an idea popped into Red's head. She put her hand into her pocket and found a piece of bread she had put in there earlier. She tore off a small piece and extended her arm to try and lure the chicken with it. The chicken immediately tried to get to the bread. When she pecked at it Red was able to grab her. Red put the chicken under one of her arms and both her and Jack started climbing down the tree. When they reached the bottom, Red gave Gizzard the rest of the bread and let her run free.

"Yes" she said "I knew I could catch her first."

"Yeah good job. That was really smart to bring out the bread. But even if you hadn't I almost had him" he said. But Red could tell he looked a little disappointed it wasn't him to catch the chicken. Had he really been trying to impress her? The thought made her smile.

"You know you climbed that tree pretty fast. Could you teach me to climb that well?"

"Yeah" he said beaming "Let's climb that one over there. It's the tallest one near the house."

They went to the tree and started to climb. Jack was showing her the best places to grip and how to swing on the limbs without falling. They reached top and both sat on the highest branch. Red was swinging her legs and enjoying the great view of the woods. She turned to Jack who seemed to be doing the same thing. The branch was kind of short so they were close and their shoulders were touching. If Red moved her hand just a little bit their hands would be touching. She was considering if she wanted to try to hold his hand when Jack interrupted her thoughts.

"So since I helped you climb trees are you going to show me how to wield a knife?"

"Okay. But don't blame me if you're not a natural like me."

"That's fine, you might just need to spend a lot of time teaching me."

Red liked the idea of that.


	4. Baking with the Baker

**Thanks for all the comments/follows/favorites. I am glad you guys are enjoying it. I did something a little different for this chapter. Looking at things from the Baker's perspective. Hope you enjoy.**

After some thinking, and a lot of nagging by Red, the Baker decided to teach her how to bake. She had been doing well tending the store so the Baker thought she could handle it. They already had a few lessons and Red was doing great at the sweets but not as good on the bread. So for tonights lesson he decided to focus just on the desserts. He would be glad having her cook some so he would have more time to spend with his son. He wanted to make sure his son had a strong role model, unlike him. Cinderella had been taking care of him most of the time but she needed a break, even thought she didn't mind taking care of the baby.

On the previous lesson the Baker had taught Red how to make chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious and the Baker decided they were good enough to sell. Red had been excited that her food was good but the Baker thought she was a little disappointed she couldn't keep the cookies all to herself. Although when his back was turned he saw her take some. He thought she would eat them all but he saw her sneak one to Cinderella and a couple to Jack, and of course a few for herself.

But this lesson he decided to let Red choose what they were baking. He hoped he would not regret this decision.

"So what would you like to try and make?"

"Carrot Cake" she said frankly.

"Really? Why? It doesn't seem like it would be your sweet of choice."

"We have all these nice carrots we don't' want to waste. And I've never had it before and it's good to try stuff you haven't tried before. And …" she trailed off and started to blush.

"Okay let's get on with it"

Red smiled and they began their work. He basically told her how to make it while she listened to his instructions. Of course she never followed his directions completely she would usually add her own twist to it. The Baker was fine with that. It was the mark of a good chef.

While they were baking he thought it would be a good time to talk to her. They were family now, all each other had, and he wanted her to feel welcome to talk to him whenever she needed. But he really didn't know what to talk to her about so he started the conversation with one of their common interests, food.

"So I noticed those chocolate chip cookies you made sold very well"

"Yes they did. People seemed to really enjoy them and they sold out by the end of that day. It's great that we are getting more customers."

"Yeah, most people have been trying to get back to their old lives." He thought of his wife. He missed her more than he ever imagined he would. He thought about her every day. Why did she have to go? Was he going to be a bad father? But he knew it was not the time to think about this and tried to put it out of his head till later.

"How did Cinderella and Jack like the ones you stole for them?"

"You saw that?"

"You're not as sneaky as you think you are. Plus you are a food thief so I kind of expected it."

"Hey." she said aggravated placing her hand on her hips. "I made those cookies I deserved to have some"

"Yeah you did." He laughed.

"But they did like them. Cinderella said they were some of the best sweets she had ever had. I mean they weren't the best but they were pretty darn delicious." She exclaimed smiling at her work.

"And Jack?"

"He was super excited to try them since he never really had any chocolate before. He seemed to like them. But I suspect he doesn't have as big of a sweet tooth as I do. But he did thank me for stealing them for him." She explained with a small smile.

"Thieves have to stick together I suppose" the Baker remarked.

Red glared at him and he thought she was going to get mad but she decided to joke with him instead.

"Your just jealous my sweets are just better than yours" she told him giving a smirk. "But seriously, thanks for teaching my how to bake."

"No problem. You're a natural"

"And, for taking me in. I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for you. I don't know what any of us would have done."

"You're welcome" was all he could say. He wasn't sure what he should say. He was just glad she was happy here and he might be able to help her after all the losses she had suffered. Maybe he could be a dad. Maybe he just needed to try and help the children the best he could and it would all work out in the end. He could wish that at least. He didn't want to ruin the nice moment they were having or make her feel embarrassed so he just continued helping her bake.

She finished the cake and the Baker had to admit it looked pretty good even if it did have carrots in it. That night at dinner they decided to serve the cake for dessert as a surprise for Cinderella and Jack.

"Okay so for tonight we have a dessert that Red made" the Baker announced at the end of dinner.

"Is it some more of those amazing cookies?" asked Cinderella.

"Nope, carrot cake." exclaimed Red as she brought it out to the table.

"Brilliant, my favorite." said Jack excitedly.

Carrot cake was his favorite dessert? That was a coincident. Or did Red know he liked it?

The three of them tried the cake while Red waiting anxiously. That was odd. She would usually be on her second piece by now. He knew she wouldn't like carrot cake. So why did she insist they make it?

"Good cake Red. Although carrots and cake might be a weird mix." Cinderella spoke honestly but not trying to offend Red.

"That's fine." She said. "Never hurts to try."

The Baker thought that was weird. He thought she would have been a little upset that Cinderella didn't really like her cake. She also stilled seemed really anxious and nervous. He saw her side eyeing Jack, like she was waiting on his response from the cake. Why didn't she just ask him what he thought of it? She was rarely so shy. Jack had not spoken because he was still shoving cake into his mouth and hadn't seemed to take a breath since he started eating it.

"This cake is amazing Red!" Jack exclaimed giving Red a big smile. "I mean the chocolate was nice but this is so good. Definitely your best."

Red was beaming from ear to ear.

"Thank for making it for me." Jack said as he grabbed another piece." How did you like it? I told you it was good."

So she did make it for Jack. He saw Red finally get herself a piece and taste it.

"It's alright" she said still smiling." I mean it's no chocolate masterpiece but it will do."

It seemed that she had made the cake to impress Jack, but why? Those two always seemed to be in competition with each other so maybe she was just proving she was a really good baker. But then the Baker thought about her blushing from earlier and how she really wanted to make that carrot cake. Maybe she had another reason for making the cake. The thought made him smile.


	5. Milky White

**Thanks for all the comments/favorites/follows. I hope you guys like this next chapter. I think I could have made it better but I was getting writers block. Next chapter I plan to have some Cinderella and Red bonding.**

It was time for dinner but Jack hadn't come in yet. The Baker leaned out the door to call for Jack to come inside.

"Jack" the Baker yelled. "Come in for dinner. You can play with the animals tomorrow."

In few minutes Jack came back in looking really miserable. This worried Red because Jack hardly ever looked sad. Something must have been really wrong. He slumped down in the chair next to Red.

"What's wrong?" Red asked.

"Milky White is really sick. I don't know what to do. I can't lose her again. I can't lose anything else." Jack said sadly.

He seemed almost on the verge of tears. Red put her hand on his to try and comfort him. She felt the same shock she did last time but ignored it. Now was not the time to think about that.

"I'm sorry Jack. There has got to be something we can do." she said. "There must be some type of medicine."

"I might have an idea." The Baker interjected. "I know of this berry in the woods that is said to help cure some sicknesses. My wife tried to use it when we were trying to conceive but it didn't help since it was a magic curse." Red noticed how sad the Baker looked when mentioning his wife. He tried to hide it but she could see how much he missed her.

At this hopeful suggestion Jack got excited. "What do they look like? Where are they?"

"They were purple berries with blue dots. I don't think they were too far into the woods but I can't really remember. Those woods are so confusing."

Jack was still excited. "That's wonderful. I'm sure with all of us looking we can find them. Let's go now."

"Oh no you don't. It's too dark and too late to be going into the woods. We will eat and get a good night's rest. We will get up bright and early and look for them."

"Tomorrow could be too late" insisted Jack.

"Yes but I'm sure Milky White wouldn't what you dying to save her." After that Cinderella insisted he finish his dinner and then go to bed. The Baker agreed with Cinderella. Jack looked at Red to try and get her support. Red was conflicted. She agreed they should do whatever they could to save Milky White but she definitely didn't want Jack to get hurt.

"Cinderella is right" she stated. "We will get up early to look for her."

Jack shot her a look like she had betrayed him and pulled his hand away and folded them to his chest. Red hadn't realized how natural his hand had felt against hers until he pulled it away. Red felt crushed. Everyone was upset and didn't talk for the rest of dinner. After dinner they all went to bed in a bad mood.

Red woke up early the next morning ready to search for the berries. She was sure everyone else was asleep. She went to wake Jack but he was not in his bed. What? He must have sneaked out last night to search for the berries. She decided to leave and find Jack before the others woke up. She made sure to bring her knife.

Red walked through the woods with rage. How dare he sneak out. Did he know what he was doing to her? She didn't want him to get hurt. She didn't want to think about something bad happening to him. He was going to be in so much trouble when she found him. She searched for awhile and she finally found him wandering around the woods looking extremely tired. When she saw him she forgot all her anger.

"Thank goodness your okay." she exclaimed.

She ran up and hugged him without even thinking about it. She was just glad he was safe. She then realized what she was doing and pushed him away from her and remembered her anger.

"That was stupid. Why did you go into the woods by yourself? Do you know how bad you could have been hurt? I haven't even showed you how to use a knife yet to defend yourself"

"You were in the woods by yourself."

"Yeah, cause I had to come and find you."

"Sorry I made you worry." Jack said bashfully looking down. "I was just so scared. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. But ..." He held out his hand to show her the berries he had found. "I found them awhile ago but I lost my way."

"This is why you should have let me come with you. I could have got you straight home."

"I'm sure you could." he said grinning at her. "I'm also sorry about last night. I was just upset. I shouldn't have been mean when you were just trying to comfort me. Thanks for that."

Red thought she saw him blush. Was he thinking of when they were holding hands? Maybe it meant something to him too.

"Enough apologizes" she said smiling. "I forgive you we just need to get the berries back."

They headed back and when they exited the woods they ran into the Baker,holding his baby, and Cinderella going into the woods to find them. They were furious but the group went and took the berries to Milky White before anything else. After a couple of hours it was clear the berries were working and Milky White was recovering.

"Jack, I can't believe you did that. Do you know how reckless you were being? Do you know what could have happened?" Cinderella yelled at Jack.

"And you should have told us before you ran after him" the Baker yelled at Red.

They made Red and Jack do extra chores for punishment. Red and Jack didn't seem to mind. They were just glad Milky White was doing better.


	6. Family

**Thanks for reading and I hope you guys are enjoying! I hope you guys like this chapter. I was having trouble writing Cinderella so I hoped she turned out alright. Next chapter I will try to get back into the bakery and maybe see how Red acts with customers.**

Red was sitting on her bed thinking about the day. Red and Jack were having one of their knife lessons. Well they had started too. They had never really completed a lesson. This was usually because Jack would get distracted and then Red would get distracted and they would end up doing something else. Red didn't mind, and she didn't think Jack did either, since they were having a lot of fun together. This particular time they had somehow ended up having a running contest. They were tied when Jack accidentally tripped over a rock and fell into a pile of mud. While he was falling he grabbed for Red's hand to stop himself from going into the mud. This didn't really help since it just surprised Red and he ended up pulling her in with him. They both stood up and laughed at each other covered in mud. They proceeded back to the house to get cleaned up.

As Red was sitting on her bed, after she had taken her bath and dressed in clean clothes, she decided to pull out her knife and examine it. She hadn't got to practice with it much lately but she knew how to use it. Her granny had given it to her and had shown her how to wield it. She missed her granny and her mother. She missed them everyday but tried not to think about it. It always made her sad and she wished she could control her emotions. She had done so many thinks since she had last seen them. What would they think of her? Would they be proud or disappointed? Everyone had lost so much and now they were trying to get their life back together. But how do you put your life back together when pieces are gone.

Red thought about the first few weeks after they had moved in together. Red, Jack, and the Baker had all just lost someone very close to them and didn't know how to handle it. They spent a lot of those days mourning after the excitement of killing the giant had died down. They had buried Jack's mother and the Baker's wife and they visited their graves often. However Red never found her mom and granny and couldn't give them a proper burial. Their houses had been crushed. Cinderella was so kind and tried to help them all emotionally. She had dealt with loss and knew how crushing it could be.

As if Cinderella could read her mind she entered the room.

"I thought you could use more towels to clean ..." Cinderella started to say before she saw Red. "What's wrong?"

Red realized how upset she must have looked but at that moment didn't care.

"I just miss them so much."

Cinderella rushed to her side to go and hold Red.

"I know you do Red. We all miss the people that leave us. But there not gone for good. They will always be with us as long as we remember them and don't forget the things we learned from them."

Red turned to her and embraced her in a hug.

"Everything has been so strange lately. Everything changes so fast."

"I know what you mean. In such a short time I went from living with my cruel stepsisters to being a princess to ..."

"Being forced to take care of three kids"

"I was going to say getting to be a part of a real family and have people caring about me again."

Red looked up at her quizzically.

"The last person who really cared for me was my mother and she died so long ago. My father married my stepmother and was never concerned what happened to me. My stepsisters were so vile. Then I became a princess and thought I might have a real family again. It was like a dream over there. But like most dreams I was abruptly woken up from it and saw it wasn't what it seemed. Then with all of you I found something in between. I found a home."

Red hugged Cinderella even tighter. She felt the same. Cinderella could never replace her mother or her granny but it didn't mean Red didn't care for her like family. She was her family. They all were a family.

"Next time you visit your mother's grave can I come with you?"

"Of course you can. I visit mother's grave so much, whenever I want to talk to her. Part of it was destroyed by the giant, but as long as I remember my mother is always with me the giant could never really destroy what it symbolizes." Cinderella said giving Red a kind smile.

"Oh I have an idea" Cinderella said jumping off the bed. "Follow me."

"Where are we going?"

"Into the Woods. Do you remember the way to grannies?"

"The path will be a little hard to follow but I can find it. "

The two headed downstairs. Cinderella explained to the Baker what they were doing. He was worried but she explained to him they wouldn't be long and would be home before dark. The two headed into the woods with Red in the lead. The path was hard to follow since many things had been destroyed but Red managed to find her way. After a few wrong turns they ended up at where granny used to live. The oak tree had been crushed but there were still small pieces of it all around the forest floor. Cinderella bent down and picked up an acorn off the ground.

"Plant this were the old oak tree stood." said Cinderella. "It will take a long time to grow but you can always visit here so you can be reminded of your loved ones. But don't come alone, it's dangerous. Make sure the Baker or me is always with you. I don't want you getting hurt."

Red hugged her again.

"Thank you. That's a wonderful idea. Granny would have wanted her oak tree replanted and when it gets bigger I'll carve her and mom's names into the tree."

"Great idea. I bet they would have liked that."

The two of them buried all the acorns they could find. Red wanted a whole grove. While Red buried the acorns she thought of how much she cared for her whole family, the new ones and those that were gone. She was glad to have all of them and knew Cinderella was right, she would never be alone.


	7. Blue Daffodils

**Thanks for all the favorites/follows/reviews. I hope you guys are enjoying the story and be sure to let me know what you think. **

**So this chapter takes place during the last chapter but through the Baker's perspective and what the Baker and Jack were doing while Cinderella and Red were talking Enjoy!**

The Baker had been making some bread but while he was waiting for it to rise he was spending some time with his son. His son seemed to like him more than he used to. Well at least he didn't cry just because he held him anymore which was definitely an improvement. Maybe it was because the Baker wasn't so scared to hold him anymore. No matter the reason the Baker was glad for the change. Although the Baker still thought his son liked Cinderella more but he couldn't blame him, she was a natural mother.

Red and Jack were outside having their knife lesson. But they never really practiced how to use a knife they just goofed around. Ever since he and Red had made the carrot cake together he had started to pay attention to how Red acted around Jack. She seemed to be smiling at him a lot and blushing when he complemented her. She also seemed to tease him quite a bit but that's how some people show affection. At first he thought it was just Red but then he started paying attention to Jack. He always seemed to try and impress her. He also caught Jack absentmindedly staring at her sometimes when she wasn't looking. Red seemed aware of her feelings. Jack on the other hand seemed kind of oblivious. He also saw them practically holding hands when she was trying to comfort him over Milky White the night they snuck out to find the berries. He still couldn't believe they did that. The Baker had been very angry with them, but mostly really worried. He did not plan to lose anyone else he cared about because of those stupid woods.

He heard the door open. The Baker looked up to find Red and Jack covered in mud and they were both laughing. The Baker glared at them.

"What happened?" the Baker cried.

"Sorry" Jack said immediately. "It was an accident."

"We don't have anything to be sorry for." Red insisted. "We fell into some mud by mistake. Well actually you fell into the mud and pulled me down with you." she said turning to Jack.

"I tried to grab your hand. I thought you might be able to help me stop from falling."

"You probably fell into the mud on purpose cause you knew I was going to win our race."

"No you weren't."

Red was about to respond but the Baker stepped in to stop the argument.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it was. Both of you just go and get cleaned up. And try to track as little mud as possible through the house."

They both started to walk away to get cleaned up but the Baker could hear them whispering.

"But it was still pretty fun." Red whispered to Jack.

"Yeah" he said smiling.

The Baker was going to clean the mud off the floor but decided to wait until he had finished the bread he was making. It didn't take him long to finish with the bread but by then Jack was already back.

"That was fast."

"Getting cleaned up is easy."

"I guess your right but now that you're down here you can help me clean up this mess you made."

"Yeah alright." Jack said begrudgingly.

They both grabbed some rags and started cleaning the floor. The Baker was curious about what really happened and he thought he might be able to get the truth out of Jack.

"So tell me the truth. Did you push her into the mud on purpose?"

"What? No. I'd never do that. Do you realize how mad she would be? Besides if I had pushed her in while we were racing that would be cheating"

"Okay I believe you. "

They went back to cleaning but in a minute Jack looked back up at the Baker again.

"She knows it was accident right? She doesn't think I meant for her to fall. I wouldn't want her to be mad at me." Jack said worriedly.

"I don't think she's mad at you."

"You're probably right. But just in case." Jack jumped up and starting running toward the door.

"What are you doing now?" the Baker shouted at him.

"I'm gonna pick her some flowers so she knows it was an accident. There are some pretty blue daffodils a ways down the road that I bet she'll like."

The Baker was going to yell at him to come back inside and finish cleaning but he decided not to. He was almost done and he didn't want to hurt Jack's chances of impressing Red. The Baker wondered how long it would take the boy to realize he had a crush on Red.

He finished cleaning up and he heard Cinderella and Red heading into the bakery. He knew Red would be excited when Jack came back with her flowers.


	8. Reminded Me Of You

**Sorry for taking awhile to update. Thanks for all the follows/favorites/reviews. I love knowing what you guys think! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Also just to let you know there will probably be about one or two more chapters. Thanks so much for reading.**

Red and Cinderella were coming back from the woods and thankfully they were coming back before the sun set. When they came inside the Baker already had dinner ready. Red was glad it was time to eat. She had gotten really hungry walking through the woods most of the day. During dinner Red told them about planting the trees for her mom and granny. The Baker and Jack were glad she finally had a special place to remember her loved ones.

"Thanks so much for suggesting it. You always have the best advice." Red stated.

"Oh thanks" Cinderella said surprised. "I was just trying to help. It was nothing really."

She really was too modest. Red had noticed she wasn't very good at taking compliments but had no problem complimenting other people. Red wasn't shocked she had low self esteem since her family was so cruel and her prince betrayed her. She would like to help her with that but didn't know how. Suddenly the baby started crying. He must have been ready to go to sleep.

"I'll get him" both the Baker and Cinderella announced at the same time. They both proceeded to get up and tend to the baby. They had been done with dinner so Red and Jack cleaned the table. When they were done Jack quickly left and went to his room. Why the rush? Red looked over and saw Cinderella singing the baby a lullaby and the Baker gently rocking him in his arms to help him fall asleep. They both loved the child so much. The Baker was no longer scared of him and Cinderella treated him like her own son. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard something behind her.

"Um, Red" Jack blurted trying to get her attention. "I got you something."

"Really? What?"

She then noticed he was holding something behind his back.

"Well I wanted to apologize for accidentally pushing you in the mud earlier. I didn't want you to be mad at me or anything."

"I'm not mad at you. I know it was accident. Or that you were just trying to win the race. Even if that was the reason I'm still not upset, I can respect that." she said jokingly.

She knew it was an accident but she liked seeming him get all flustered.

"It really was an accident. I wouldn't cheat." he protested. "But I wanted to get these for you to say I'm sorry."

He then pulled flowers from behind his back. They were blue daffodils and the most gorgeous flowers she had ever seen. The fact that he had picked them just for her made them even more beautiful. She couldn't believe he would do that for her. Red also noticed the flowers were tied together with a ribbon. Was that one of her hair ribbons?

"Did you steal one of my ribbons?" she questioned.

Really, that was the first thing she said. She couldn't say thank you or tell him she loved them. The first thing out of her mouth had to be an accusation. What was wrong with her?

"Yeah. Sorry. I needed something to hold them together and this was the only thing I could think of. Also I thought you would be okay with it since I was gonna be giving it back to you anyways."

"No, it's fine. There lovely." she said grabbing the flowers from his hands.

"I thought you would like them. They also kind of reminded me of you" he said grinning.

"Thank you very much. I really do like them. How did they make you think of me?"

"I just thought they were the prettiest flowers I had ever seen."

She saw his eyes grow wide after he realized what he had said. Red smiled at his admission. Then Jack started mumbling really fast she could barely understand him.

"I mean … um, they seemed sweet and strong and clever. Well actually that doesn't make any sense about a flower but um they … "

Jack continued mumbling so low that she couldn't hear him anymore. Did Jack really think all those things about her? The thought made her blush but this time she didn't try to hide it. His cute mumbling had also given her a burst of courage. So before she lost her nerve she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She saw a big goofy grin appear on his face before she turned around and skipped away. She needed to go find a vase for her flowers.


	9. And Happily Ever After

**This is the final chapter. Thanks so much for the favorites/follows/reviews. I get so excited every time I see a fav or review! It means so much to see your comments. Hope you guys enjoyed the story as much as I loved writing it! This chapter is an epilogue and takes place a little while later. Its from the Baker's perspective. Also the Baker's kid is still pretty young, probably around toddler age. Just learning to walk and talk properly. I also feel this chapter has a little bit of a different vibe but I thought it was fitting. Thanks so much for reading and hope you enjoy!**

A little while later …

The Baker was sitting on the grass playing with his son and watching him run around. He was so glad he had been there to raise him and didn't run away like his father had. Or even like he thought of doing when he was at his worst. He liked to think his wife would have been proud of him. The boy was still very young but the Baker was teaching the child everything he knew and making sure he knew he wasn't alone. His son even reminded him of her. He had the same hair, stubbornness, determination, and caring heart. The Baker wouldn't have it any other way.

Cinderella was in town. She seemed to be there a lot helping out as many townsfolk as she could. She wasn't really a princess anymore but the town sure thought of her as one, which embarrassed Cinderella to no end. If she had been able to be queen she would have been able to do a lot of good. However she seemed fine she was no longer with the prince and wasn't a real princess. Most of all she just seemed to be happy to have found a family that loved her. They all loved their new family.

Red had gotten even better at running the bakery. After some practice she had improved at making bread and had gotten even better at making sweets. She definitely exceeded him on making desserts but he still thought his bread was superior, even though she denied that.

Jack's garden had gotten even bigger and sometimes they were able to give some of the vegetables to families that weren't as fortunate as them. Jack remembered when he hardly had anything to eat and didn't what other to have suffer worse than they already had. Sometimes he would forget to take the vegetables to town because he would get distracted. He was either distracted by Milky White or Red. Those were most of the things the boy seemed to think about.

Those two kids the Baker thought smiling. They were still so young and mostly just acted really awkward around each other. Well awkward and sweet. Jack still would get flustered around her and the Baker still caught him absentmindedly staring at her. The vase of blue daffodils that he got her was still on the windowsill of the bakery and he always picked her new ones when the old ones started to wilt. Red still teased Jack but was always really protective of him. Once, a group of boys in town made fun of Jack for being stupid and being best friends with his cow. He had never seen Red so angry. The Baker was glad she never yelled at him like that.

He looked up at the tallest tree around the house. They were both really close to the top, sitting together and holding hands. They never showed many displays of affection around him, they mostly just goofed around with each other, but every once in awhile he would see them holding hands or stealing a kiss.

He looked even closer at the tree and it looked like they were eating the muffins he had just made. He had made those to sell and told them not to take any. He should have known better, those thieves. Sometimes they frustrated him but he guessed that's what your kids were supposed to do. He looked down at his own son rolling around in the grass and wondered what kind of trouble he would cause him but he was sure glad he would be around to find out.

It still seemed strange to him that these two kids, who were kind of like his children, were a couple. Though, he couldn't think of a better match for the two adventurous thieves than each other.


End file.
